This section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention that is recited in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
In recent years, flat panel displays have become enormously popular in both commercial and residential sectors typically as computer monitors or television displays. As the prices for plasma and liquid crystal display (LCD) flat panel displays have continued to fall, and the quality for the same devices have improved, more and more businesses and individuals have purchased such devices for both home and business entertainment purposes.
One of the advantages of flat panel television units that customers have found particular appealing is their relatively smaller form factor, particularly thickness, in comparison to cathode ray tube (CRT) displays. Because conventional CRT displays have a relatively large depth, the display options for such devices are quite limited. In the residential setting, most users require a television stand or large entertainment center to store the television. Such stands or entertainment centers can take up significant floor space, which is often undesirable. In the commercial or educational setting, users will often install large overhead mounting systems that can contain the television. However these systems usually require professional installation and, once the television is secured to the mount, it is often difficult to access and adjust due to its height. With flat panel televisions, on the other hand, users are presented with a relatively new option: mounting the television directly to the wall. By mounting the television to the wall, a person can eliminate the need to take up potentially valuable floor space.
Although the introduction of flat panel televisions on a wide scale has presented new opportunities to both residential and commercial customers, it has also presented new challenges. Many of the technologies used in flat panel displays have limited viewing angles, making it desirable for a user to be able to pivot the display, both horizontally and vertically. These factors work against the desire to provide a flexible mounting that allows a user to move the display to maximize viewing.
Conventionally devices have generally provided two types of adjustment either mounting the display on an articulating arm, which can result in an enormous increase in force on the mount due to the leverage of having the display extended from the wall, or utilizing a tilting mechanism. However, both of these structures add to the size of the mount and reduce the benefit to having a flat panel display. A bulky mount with a flat panel display may result in a drastic increase in the necessary space and may also result in a less aesthetic presentation. Further, conventional mounts have typically been either been low profile, allowing for positioning the display close to a wall without significant adjustability, or have provided a high degree of adjustability and freedom of movement for the display but via the use of bulky structures, preventing positioning of the display close to the wall.